Pipe cleaner



Dec. 23, 1947. F; w, ENGBERG 2,433,105

P I PE CLEANER Filed June 16, 1944' 'nvvszvron FREDERICK n4 ENGBERG ATfO/P/VEX Patented Dec. 23, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PIPE CLEANER Frederick W. Engberg, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Application June 16, 1944, Serial No. 540,579

This invention relates to smoking accessories and has particular relation to a pipe cleaner. The operation of cleaning pipes, cigarette tubes and the like by the devices known to the art is not always satisfactorily accomplished because of the difliculty of inserting and removing the cleaning means.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a cleaner for smokers pipes, cigarette and cigar holders and other bored articles.

Another object of the invention is to provide an extremely inexpensive cleaner in which one portion may be discarded and which portion is very inexpensive so that the cost of replacement is very low.

Another object of my invention is to provide a two-piece cleaning apparatus in which the cleaning material can be readily replaced and in which the means used for driving the cleaning material can be used over and over again.

Other and further features and objects of the invention will be more apparent to those skilled in the art upon a consideration of the accompanying drawings and following specification, wherein is disclosed an exemplary embodiment of the invention, with the understanding, however, that such changes may be made therein as fall within the scope of the appended claim, without depart ing from the spirit of the invention.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates a cleaning device, for pipes or cigarette holders, as constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of my invention, and Figure 2 is a view in perspective showing the device of Figure 1 being used in cleaning a cigarette holder.

Referring now to the drawings:

A device constructed according to a preferred embodiment of my invention consists of a length of music wire or the like bent back upon itself to form a loop, as illustrated at I0, in which a bit of yarn, cloth, string or the like I I may be caught. The drawing member 10 has the arms thereof curved inwardly, as illustrated at ll and I02, so that when the loop is unfiexed the two arms intersect as at I03. The purpose of bending the arms of this loop is to cause the projecting ends thereof to spring apart instantly as soon as the leading end of the device projects from the tube being cleaned. This enables the device to be readily grasped for pulling it through. The springing apart of the projecting ends of the arms is illustrated in Figure 2 in which the leading ends have been pushed through the cigarette holder or tube l5 and have sprung apart for 1 Claim. (Cl. 131-245) ready grasping thereof and to provide friction means for preventing the device from sliding or falling back through the tube.

, In supplying this device for the market, one loop, as illustrated at [0, and a large number of lengths of yarn may be sold, in a single package. The yarn of course may be discarded after being used once and the replacement cost is of course very small. This device is of particular advantage from the standpoint of saving of material, as a few'pounds of wire will make hundreds of cleaners.

In use the arms llll and I02 are pressed together to be inserted within the bore to be cleaned and the device is pushed through the bore as shown in Figure 2 and the ends of the arms NH and I02 project from the opposite end. The loop of yarn or the like is then drawn through the bore, thus cleaning it.

Although I have described a specific embodiment of my invention, it is apparent that modifications thereof may be made by those skilled in the art. Such modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A bore cleaning device consisting of a drawing means in the form of a rod of music wire or the like bent back upon itself to provide a loop having curved arms, and a cleaning agent consisting of a string of yarn or like material looped through the loop of the drawing means, the curved arms of the drawing means being flexible and resilient and so arranged to cross one another so that the leading ends spring apart after they have passed through the bore to enable the drawing means to be more readily grasped and to prevent the drawing means from falling back or sliding back through the bore.

FREDERICK W. EN GBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 722,302 Widness Oct. 11, 1904 1,081,038 Haig Dec. 9, 1913 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 12,150 Great Britain 1893 24,187 Great Britain Oct. 11, 1904 2,961 Great Britain Feb. 11, 1895 

